Puppy Love
by konpyu-tamania
Summary: Three short fics written for the opening of a GW comm on LiveJournal. Shonenai.


FIC Puppy Love for the Bakery Grand Opening! PG-13 1x2, 3x4, H- 2, 2+4

These three ficlets are all connected in one way or another, although the first one is more of a stand-alone fic. I hope that everyone gets something enjoyable from at least one of them! Happy Grand Opening!

Title: Puppy Love  (1/3)  
Author: KatePairing: Hilde- 2 (hinting), 2+4 (friendship), 3x4, 1x2 (hinting)  
Rating: PG-13  
Word Count: 1724  
Warnings: Spoilers for i Episode Zero (manga), some sexual references & Shonen-ai  
Disclaimer: I don't own GW or its characters…

* * *

Whenever someone is born it is considered a wonderful occasion. Wonderful enough to constitute a celebration. One that is repeated every year you are alive, and sometimes if you are cared for enough, or have made an impact on the world around you it is even celebrated after your death. But if you weren't really born, or no one remembers when you were born can you say that you really were born at all? Does the fact that you are alive mean that you automatically deserve a day all your own?

* * *

Duo sipped at a cup of coffee, minutely aware of Hilde's eyes on his back. He had been tense and irritable lately, he knew that. But he hated the fact that Hilde was worried over him. She didn't have the time to be worrying about him, not with everything else she had to do. All this had been a sparked by a normal conversation with Quatre, during his last visit. He himself wasn't one to live in the past, but for some reason something had irked him during their conversation, it hadn't left his thoughts since.

* * *

"Duo," Quatre said as he walked over to the table with two mugs of tea in his hands. "I was wondering if you could help me find something?"

Slightly surprised, Duo glanced up from the magazine he was scanning through. He realized that it may seem rude of him to be reading while talking with his friend, but he needed the distraction to hold still. "Sure, what'cha looking for?"

Quatre seemed momentarily unsure, but plowed forward anyway, "I was wondering if you could help me find a motorcycle…"

"Really? That's sorta out there, even for you Quatre."

A small, warm smile formed on Quatre's lips, "It's not for me, it's for Trowa's birthday." He kept the fact that Trowa had been teaching him to ride one a secret, it was their adventure. Their chance to be free from everything but the wind and the road.

"He has a birthday?" Duo asked skeptically. He was fairly certain that only Quatre and Wufei knew their actual birth dates, Trowa, Heero and himself were in the dark as far as knowing their birthdays was concerned. They tended to celebrate whenever they felt like it, or had time to during the year, which tended to be on Quatre's birthday. Quatre would normally insist.

Shaking his head Quatre began to explain, "I thought it was important so I had him pick a date for it."

"Quatre, it's just a day. I mean everyone is i born /i , there's nothing special about that. What does the date matter anyway? You could have just as easily been born sometime else."

His friend's face fell as he sat down in an armchair across from Duo. "I…I didn't used to think it was that important either, but…" He trailed off, not really wanting to finish his thought.

Duo sighed, "'But' what?" he asked. It seemed that Quatre always felt better after saying something that was bothering him, out loud.

"I didn't used to believe that it was important, that I was important, because I didn't know who I really was. It turns out that who you are doesn't matter though, everyone is important. When I was younger I chose to only see what was on the surface, my sisters were all engineered. My father always denied that I was…but I sorted it all out eventually, I learned to except it. It doesn't matter if you're an orphan, or a soldier, or genetically engineered, everyone matters to someone else. So I decided that I would show my appreciation to my mother and father for giving me life, even in an unnatural way, by celebrating my birthday."

He nodded, then tried to lighten the subject, exclaiming, "You didn't used to celebrate your birthday?" There was a hint of disbelief in the statement. "You're such a birthday nazi now though."

Quatre blushed, "Yeah, silly I know."

Putting a hand to his forehead, Duo leaned backward in his chair. "Geez Quatre, you really have a strange mind. Anyhow, what day did Trowa end up picking?"

This received another blush from Quatre, "The day we met at the New Edwards Base. He said it would be a good way to remember that day…he insisted on it really. He even went to all the trouble of looking up the date from old news reports."

Duo tried to stop laughing, but it was just so amusing how the two of them acted with each other. They were one of the cutest couples when you got right down to it, and the fact that Quatre had thought of getting Trowa a new motorcycle was funny in its self. Trowa had been casually dropping hints to Duo for quite some time that he needed a new one or replacement parts for the ancient vehicle. "So you want the mechanic's help to get him the perfect bike. I'm sure he'd love any type, as long as it came from you, but I know a person who does some custom work. He has the best engines around, they purr like kittens, but I can assure you they act more like lions. Think he can tame one of 'em?" He already knew the answer to this; Trowa was a natural when it came to any sort of vehicle. But he loved teasing Quatre so much.

"I'm sure it won't be a problem, he can tame anything, beast or machine."

"Even you?" He smiled wickedly; Quarter had walked right into his trap, and was blushing even more fiercely as he tried to hind it by taking a drink of his tea. "Alright, I'll call him for you, but you owe me something later." Winking he stood up went to raid the fridge.

* * *

Once he had gotten back from the trip he had begun feeling depressed. It was great for Trowa and Quatre; they had each other to come up with silly, cutesy, things like giving Trowa a birthday. But who did he have? Hilde, no she was just a kid, just a friend with some weird notion that she liked him. Sure she knew some of the pains of war and the feeling of being alone, but it wasn't the same. That left Heero and Wufei.

Wufei wouldn't and couldn't understand this sort of thing though; he'd had a family up until a year before the war. His real family; although he never talked about them.

He stood up and went over to the videophone, hoping the number he had for Heero was still current. He dialed and breathed a sigh of relief when Heero's face came into view a few moments later. "Heero, long time no see!" he said, and heard the door open and close behind him as Hilde left the shop. She always did whenever he talked to any of the other Gundam pilots.

Heero stood watching Duo through the video feed before trying to ascertain Duo's purpose in calling him. "Duo…you called me?"

"Oh, yeah sorry. I met with Quatre the other day."

He nodded at this, it wasn't unusual, and they were both friends. Somehow they could always find some reason to meet up for coffee or stop by before an errand.

"He asked me to help him find a motorcycle for Trowa's birthday." Duo let the word hang in the air, seeing if Heero would pick up on it.

"That's nice."

Duo's face fell slightly, no such luck with Heero's ability to pick up subtle hints like this. "Don't you think it's strange?"

"No, Quatre is a very kind, thoughtful person. Plus he and Trowa are very close to one another, you know that."

"Not that!" Duo yelled, "Trowa has a birthday!"

"Everyone does." Heero was not really seeing the point of this conversation.

"I don't!" He was getting angry now, why couldn't Heero see why this bothered him?

For a moment Heero didn't say anything, he merely watched as Duo calmed himself down and smiled weakly back at him.

"Look I'm sorry, I don't know why such a stupid little thing has been bothering me so much…"

"I think it's a perfectly understandable reaction."

Duo had to stop and think about what Heero had just said, "You think it's understandable?" he repeated in an awed sense of disbelief.

"Yes," he had never really thought about it before, but it made sense for some one like Duo to get caught up about something so simple and silly as having an official birthday or not. "If you don't have a birthday it can seem like you aren't normal, or you aren't worth anything."

"That's basically what Quatre said, about himself."

"Hmmm."

"Heero, do you want a birthday?"

"It doesn't matter –"

Duo interrupted him; "Well do you want one anyway? I mean, just for the hell of it?"

He wasn't i exactly /i sure where Duo was going with this, but it was harmless to play along. "Sure."

"Great!" He smiled widely, "Then we'll celebrate ASAP!"

A smirk found its way onto Heero's face. "And when exactly are i we /i going to do this?"

"Oh, in a week." He said, nonchalantly.

"Why? Is that a special day or something?" Heero knew Duo well enough to know that he wouldn't just pick a day out of thin air.

Duo's face turned into an expression of mock horror, "What? You don't remember? That's the day that you finally met 'The Great Shinigami'! Who I'm sure you'd been hearing stories about for weeks." His 'horror' turned into a grin.

"Really? I'll have to mark my calendar from now on. Just to make sure I don't forget that on that day we always have a i date /i , with destiny that is." He smiled as Duo's cheeks turned slightly red.

He recovered, "You bet! Otherwise Shinigami might just have to pay you a surprise visit."

Heero laughed, said a brief goodbye then hung up. Hilde who had caught the end of the conversation was smirking in the corner. "So, you have a date now do you?" She asked, laughing softly as Duo jumped, then tried to hide his face.

"I – yeah so what if I do?"

"Oh, nothing…just have fun, 'kay?" She walked over and placed a kiss on his cheek before wandering off to finish a few things for the shop.

* * *

Title: Puppy Love  (2/3)  
Author: Kate  
Pairing: 1x2  
Rating: PG-13  
Word Count: 1,377  
Warnings: Minor spoiler for ep. 29 & Shonen-ai  
Disclaimer: I don't own GW or its characters…

* * *

Heero had taken to walking in the park as the afternoon sun pulsated overhead. Sometimes, most of the time, he needed some time to himself, just to be able to think about things without Duo's incessant talking, or e-mails, or worrying news reports and suspicious activities scrolling across the top of the tele. Time to just think about himself, what i he /i needed, wanted, was almost impossible to find and take advantage of as of late. So walking had become a much-needed habit.

It was especially warm that afternoon so he had traded his jeans and heavy jacket for kaki shorts and an over shirt that Duo had gotten him, claiming that he needed 'more colour' in his wardrobe. Something small, and black caught his eye as it ran past him on the path. It turned and faced him, its tongue moving up and down with its breathing. Eyeing him curiously it barked once and then circled him before barking again, jumping up against his legs, looking up at him with large black eyes.

He started walking again, the black lab following beside him obediently as if it were supposed to. After a few minutes Heero paused and looked down at his tag-a-long, "Don't you have a home to go back to?"

The dog just barked happily, looking up at him again and turning in a tight circle once it noticed its tail wagging, mocking the little black lab. Turning in circles over and over, it tried to catch its tail, determined to show Heero it could do so. In the end Heero picked up a nearby stick and threw it toward a field. The lab instantly ran after it, tripping over its oversized paws a few times before disappearing into the tall grass. Waiting a few moments longer, Heero continued on, smiling to himself, dogs could sense the good in people. He supposed that when he had told Quatre that somewhere on a beach on earth he had believed it to be true, but not completely. Since then he had come a long ways in the way he thought about himself.

As he was leaving the park he heard a dog barking, the black lab ran up to him as he turned and looked down. Sighing he kneeled down and patted the dog on the head. "I guess you like me, don't you. Well I…" He trailed off, he wanted to say he couldn't, but really there was no reason not to. The dog had no tags, and no distinctive markings except for one flopped over ear with a tinge of white on the tip. i 'Everything black has at least a little white.' /i He said to himself, noticing the almost nonexistent white marking.

He stood up and began walking, then turned back to the dog, "Well some on." He said, motioning for the lab to follow him. As he opened the door to the flat he shared with Duo, the puppy nosed at the door, eager to explore its new home. He set his keys down on the table near the door, locking it after himself, and then went into the living room to find Duo dozing on the couch. Smiling he picked up the dog and set it on Duo's chest where it proceeded to lick Duo's face thoroughly. Heero had a hard time suppressing the laugh that was threatening to burst out of him at the expression on Duo's face, and when Duo finally opened his eyes, to be met with the lab's, he let himself go into near hysterics.

Duo jumped slightly then frowned at Heero who was bent double with laughter. The lab put its paws on Duo's chest after he had sat up in an attempt to continue licking his face. After a moment Duo gave into the puppy's enthusiasm held his paws up in his hands and nuzzling its black nose with his own.

"Heero, I didn't think you would ever get a puppy!" He exclaimed smiling, then began scratching its head.

Containing his laughter, Heero came around the couch and sat down next to Duo, rubbing behind the puppy's other ear. "I didn't really have much choice, he insisted on following me."

"The stray found another couple of strays to bed up with then? Well I think he needs a bath…where did you find him anyway?" Duo asked curiously.

"In the park. And he also needs a name."

"Good, well I'll take care of the bath…uh I think we need to puppy-proof the flat Heero."

Heero smiled, "I know, I'll go to the store while you two enjoy bath time." He stood up, putting a hand on Duo's head and combing through the long brown hair before leaving the flat again.

Duo turned to the puppy and smiled at him. "Now I don't know how you got Heero to bring you home, but you better be good." He tapped the dog on the nose then scooped him up, heading to the bathroom. Once in the bathroom he closed the door and pulled out a few towels, leaving them on the counter for later. Then he turned on the water, testing the tap for temperature while the puppy explored what he could reach of the bathroom. That consisted mainly of nudging open the cabinet doors and tripping over the carpet a few times before Duo picked him up and put him in the warm water.

The lab scrambled along the bottom of the tub, trying to find the traction needed to jump out of the water. Duo held him down, receiving a face full of water before he was able to keep the puppy still long enough to work soap into its black coat. He finished as quickly as the squirming dog would allow, then stepped back as the puppy leaped out of the tub and shook himself dry, flinging water in every direction. Wiping water from his face, Duo merely dropped one of the towels on top of the puppy, and then taking the whole bundle with him, walked back into the living room. He plopped down on the couch, holding the squirming puppy and trying his best to dry the little animal off as much as possible. After a minute or so the puppy wriggled free and fell to the floor, shaking himself free of the towel that was still over his head.

Duo sat on the couch and watched as the puppy pulled at the edge of his stocking, growling and thrashing it around in an attempt to work it off Duo's foot. It succeeded, falling backwards suddenly when the stocking came free. The stocking became the puppy's sole concentration for the next few minutes, placing a paw on one end and pulling with its teeth on the other. It landed back near Duo's foot and he rolled it into a ball and tossed it at the puppy who caught it, then began pawing it across the floor, keeping it just out of reach. Duo heard the door and looked behind him as Heero came in with a paper grocery bag in one arm. He set it down and pulled out a collar.

"I thought he didn't have a name?" Duo said, tilting his head up and Heero came up behind him.

"While I was at the store I thought of one that I think will suit him well…"

"Let me see!" Duo took the collar from Heero and turned over the small round tag, it had a single word engraved in it. A smirk pasted over Duo's lips, "You shouldn't have…"

Heero smiled and planted an upside down kiss on Duo's cheek, "I know, but I could resist. It's perfect, don't you think?"

Duo glanced down at the black lab, which was chewing on his stocking, "Well he's not the original, but I think he will live up to the name, no problems." He reached down and picked the puppy up, setting him on his lap then put the collar around his neck. The puppy looked down at the new attachment then scratched at it with his hind leg, trying to remove the foreign object.

The word 'Shinigami' gleamed in the soft indoor light as he jumped to the ground, dragging his stocking ball along with him.

* * *

Title: Puppy Love  (3/3)  
Author: Kate  
Pairing: 3x4, 1x2  
Rating: PG-13  
Word Count: 1036  
Warnings: Minor spoiler for episode 29 & Shonen-ai  
Disclaimer: I don't own GW or its characters…

* * *

Duo had called him the week before asking if he would take care of Shin for him and Heero while they went to visit Wufei on one of the colonies. Apparently Heero had suggested it, seeing as animals loved both him and Trowa. Shinigami really was a nice dog, he had grown in the year or so that Duo and Heero had had him, his silky black coat becoming more ebony than its previously brown tinted black. His one while edged ear still flopped over, and according to Duo, he still didn't like baths.

Quatre had decided to come home early, wanting to go on a walk with Trowa and Shin in the nearby park. It was chilly and just beginning to get dark as they headed out the door, Quatre holding on to Shin's leash. He dug his hands into his pockets, trying to keep them warm against the chill. Trowa put an arm around him, hugging him close as they began walking toward the park. The street lamps lit the empty walkway, casting shadows on ground. Shin whined against the cold, but otherwise was cooperative, padding softly ahead of them.

"Heero and Duo trained him pretty well, don't you think so, Trowa?"

Trowa nodded, glancing around in the quickening darkness. "Yes, but part of that is because Shin is such a good dog." Shin turned his head slightly, ears pricked at the mention of his name. Trowa chuckled and pulled Quatre closer as a gust of wind blew through the park.

Leaning his head against Trowa's shoulder he asked, "How was your day?"

"Fine, Shin was a hand full until I let him outside for a few minutes, then he decided it was too cold." He replied, smiling.

"That's nice…" Quatre stopped walking for a moment and sneezed.

"Someone's talking about you Cat." Trowa commented.

Quatre merely raised an eyebrow at him and smiled a crooked grin. "Well, true or not, it's not that big of a deal." They reached a bench and sat down, letting Shin off the leash so that he could run around a bit; they didn't have much of a backyard, unlike Heero and Duo who had moved almost immediately after finding Shin. Quatre and Trowa snuggled together on the bench, keeping a careful eye on Shin to make sure he didn't go too far off.

Trowa looked up as something cold touched his nose. White flakes had started to fall, floating slowly down until they landed, beginning to cover the ground in a sheet of white. Quatre shook his head, showering Trowa in the fluffy powder. "I didn't know it was going to snow." Quatre said after a moment of staring upward. "Though it explains why it's been so cold lately."

"You should watch the news then…"

"I don't want to hear anymore news, I hear enough throughout my day to fill my head with worries. I just want to be able to come home, relax, and be with you."

Trowa began laughing.

"What's so funny?" Quatre asked suspiciously.

"That's what you always do Cat."

"Oh really?" He grinned and took his hands out of his pockets, reaching for Trowa's sides, tickling him. "I don't i always /i just come home and relax. I do other things too!"

Trowa managed to grab hold of Quatre's wrists and held them up at arm's length. "You know what we've never done together?"

"No, what?"

He looked around, then reached down to his feet, scooping up a handful of snow and quickly compacting it in his fist. Sitting back up, he was met with a face full of snow. Quatre winked and then got up, trying to dodge Trowa's snowball. Shin ran up, bouncing and barking at their feet as Trowa got a hold on Quatre from behind, pinning his arms to his sides. He planted a kiss on Quatre's cheek, before dumping a handful of snow on Quatre's head. Shaking his head, Quatre grabbed Shin's collar and walked him back over to the bench, re-clasping his leash.

"Well it's a tie, what do you say we find a tie breaker at home?"

Trowa followed, taking Shin's leash from Quatre, "And what kind of tie breaker might that be?"

Putting his hands back in his pockets Quatre smiled wistfully, "Oh, I don't know, but I'm sure we can come up with something amusing. And who loses gives Shin his bath tomorrow."

center /center

After getting home Quatre and Trowa had shed their heavy coats and wet shoes and curled up on the couch together, where Quatre had promptly trounced Trowa in chess. While Trowa put their wet clothing in the dryer, Quatre made hot chocolate, bringing the two mugs into the small living room where Trowa was sitting back on the couch, scratching behind Shin's ears. His tail swished back and forth on the floor next to Trowa's feet.

"He likes you."

"He'd like anyone who rubbed his ears." Trowa said, accepting the hot chocolate from Quatre.

Sitting down beside him Quatre glanced down at Shin, "No, dogs like good people, all animals do. That's why you're so good with them."

Trowa smiled, "If you tried you would be too." He put an arm around Quatre's shoulders, pulling him closer so that he was leaning over, almost in his lap. Putting his and Quatre's mugs on the side table, he wrapped both arms around Quatre. "I've never seen snow like this before."

Quatre's eyes shifted to the window across from him. The snow outside was swirling in small tornadoes, lashing against the glass. "Let's just hope it's not a blizzard." He didn't like feeling trapped, and as much as he hated to admit it, he wanted to go to work the next day, he had a problem that he was almost through working out.

"That wouldn't be so bad, I'm sure we've both been through worse."

"I'm sure."

"But I like it. It's like a dance or a performance, just for us."

His lips drew together in a smile, then he turned facing Trowa for a moment, "Just for us, two misfit, shooting stars with a reason to live." He leaned up, kissing Trowa and thought, _'This is how life is meant to be lived…'_


End file.
